Ethics Of Preterm Birth

Preterm birth is defined as, “the birth of an infant before 37 weeks of pregnancy.” (CDC, 2015). This paper will discuss the ethical question, “Considering the high risk of medical and mental disabilities, should all premature infants be saved?”. The first time I read this question, I thought of quality of life. I feel as long as the baby can live to have a good quality of life, they should be saved. However, how do you define quality of life, and how do others? This may differ greatly between individuals because of culture, age, or other life factors and experiences. And because of this, there are many different views concerning abortions, the limitation or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment (LSMT) and saving a life no matter
Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth, was published in 2012, by the March of Dimes, along with many other organizations. This report includes estimates of preterm birth rates worldwide and found, “15 million babies worldwide are born prematurely each year, and more than 1 million die due to complications from premature birth. Of these babies, the report notes, 75 percent could be saved if current cost-effective interventions were made available to all.“ (March of Dimes, 2016). Though statistically more prevalent in rural low-income areas, parents in higher income communities are still at risk of preterm births. “In 2014, preterm birth affected about 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States.” (CDC,
Still, problems may arise when parents and healthcare professionals differ in ideas of the best course of action for the baby. This ethical dilemma can be very hard on the heartbroken parents and the medical health team. “Parents largely believe that they do and should take primary responsibility for decisions concerning the LSMT from their critically ill infants.” (Baer & Nelson, 2007). For most parents, this highly stressful time can lead to many added issues, such as marital or household problems, and they will have countless